Snow in some areas, wet wintry mix in others

A freezing rain that began about 3 p.m. Wednesday saw roads and parking lots slick with ice by the evening.

By 10 p.m. Wednesday, parts of the region had more than an inch of snow on the ground while other areas in and around Wilmington, mostly near the coast, were still seeing a wet mix of wintry precipitation.

And the region had avoided power outages so far -- just one customer was reported as having lost power on Duke Energy's outage map as of 10 p.m.

Drivers should keep aware of black ice and stay off the roads if possible, N.C. Department of Transportation spokesman Brian Rick said earlier Wednesday evening.

"Based on what's going on right now, try to hunker down at least during this duration, this part of the weather," Rick said. "If you get out there in this weather, you're not only going to be endangering your own life, you're going to be endangering the lives of the first responders and DOT employees."

Gov. Roy Cooper's declaration of a state of emergency came as the region was seeing numerous accidents -- the DOT closed a portion of Interstate 140 at the Dan Cameron bridge over the Northeast Cape Fear River after several accidents were reported.

"This storm is expected to bring snow, ice, and strong winds to parts of our state," Cooper said in a statement. "A winter storm combined with bitterly cold temperatures is a dangerous combination that will make travel difficult and could lead to power outages."

Rick said motorists should use heightened caution as the storm got worse.

"Once the winter weather comes in, we're not able to do anything at that point other than wait for our crews to safely go out and deal with the aftermath," Rick said.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, forecasters with the National Weather Service office in Wilmington said the wintry mix falling at the time would switch to "just snow" as the night progressed.

The region was placed under a state of emergency by Gov. Roy Cooper as Wednesday night's winter storm began covering area roads with a slick coat of ice.

The declaration also triggers state law against charging excessive prices during an emergency. Cooper also issued an executive order waiving truck weight, size and hours of service restrictions to ease movement of supplies and equipment, according to a release from Cooper's office.

"I encourage people to watch weather forecasts closely and stay off the roads when travel becomes dangerous," Cooper said. "Unnecessary travel not only puts you at risk, but it also risks the lives of emergency services and law enforcement officers who respond to help you."

WAVE Transit announced at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday that it would end service at 7 p.m. Wednesday and planned to resume operations at 8 a.m. Thursday -- the bus service usually begins at 6 a.m.DOT has been treating roads with brine since Monday, preparing for the wintry mix that began to hit the region Wednesday afternoon.

DOT crews are prepared to plow in areas where snow accumulates and sprinkle road salt where ice forms. The next steps, Rick said, will depend on the severity, direction and duration of the storm.

DOT is particularly concerned about patches of black ice and is warning drivers to be cautious, as temperatures aren't expected to rise well above freezing until late Saturday or early Sunday.

"It is literally like ice skating with your car," Rick said. "Take it slow, ease off your accelerator and don't slam on your brakes or else you will go into a skid."

Drivers should also be careful about going over bridges, with traffic reports indicating elevated parts of I-140 were already seeing accidents and slow downs due to wintry conditions, Rick said.

"You have this unbelievably cold pocket of air that forms under a bridge, and it makes a bridge treacherous in this kind of weather," Rick said.

4:30 p.m. update: Bad weather begins; accidents reported

A portion of Martin Luther King Parkway was shut down at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday after officers responded to three accidents on the parkway in the past hour. Motorists are advised to use an alternate route, Wilmington police spokeswoman Linda Thompson said in a release. There also were reports of several accidents and traffic delays on Interstate 140 from the bridge over the Northeast Cape Fear River along the highway's elevated section into Brunswick County.

Freezing rain began falling throughout the region and will continue mixing with sleet until the evening, when heavy snow is expected to begin falling, said Doug Hoehler, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

"It's starting right now," Hoehler said at 4 p.m. Wednesday of the winter storm. "We'll be seeing freezing rain mix with sleet on and off until 6 or 7 o'clock, when it will change to snow."

The region is expected to see periods of heavy snowfall, which by 3:30 p.m. Wednesday had blanketed Charleston, S.C., and was marching northeast toward the Wilmington region.

The combination of freezing rain followed by snow will make driving treacherous, he said.

"We'll get an ice glaze and on top of that see the snow," he said. "You won't see the icy spots (on the road), which will make driving more difficult."

Like most Wilmington natives, Halie Spear doesn’t much count on seeing a good snowfall in the Cape Fear region.

“I like snow, but it’s not something I really expect in Wilmington,” she said.

On Wednesday afternoon, Spear was working at Kilwin’s Chocloates on Market Street before the store closed early. During her shift, she said less than 10 people came into the ice cream shop to get a scoop despite the bitter cold.

“It didn’t stop them,” she said.

Spear was one of few people who braved the escalating wind and rain around 3 p.m. in downtown Wilmington. On many storefronts, signs were posted notifying potential customers the threat of icy weather caused them to close their doors earlier in the day.

At the few bars that were open, the bartops and booths were largely empty, even though inside was a much warmer refuge than out.

At Barbary Coast, just two people were sipping down a beverage at 3:15 p.m., the biggest crowd the bar had seen all day, according to the bartender.

As the first drops of freezing rain began to fall about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, the region's three school districts announced all schools would be closed Thursday.

New Hanover County schools announced that all schools will be closed Thursday for students and staff "due to the expected inclement weather."

Pender and Brunswick schools followed suit in closing schools to all students and staff. In Pender County, "essential central services staff should report to work if safely able to do so," the school district said in a release.

Schools were also closed Wednesday except in Pender County, where students were released early.

Earlier Wednesday, the University of North Carolina Wilmington announced it would close and suspend all services beginning at 2 p.m. Wednesday through Thursday.

"A decision about Friday operations will be announced by 5 p.m. on Thursday," UNCW said in a release.

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2:30 p.m. update: Delta joins American in canceling flights

Delta Airlines cancelled its remaining flights to and from Wilmington International Airport.

The decision, which comes on the heels of American Airlines' earlier decision to cancel flights, means no commercial flights will arrive or depart from the airport after Delta's final arrival at 2:30 p.m. and departure to Atlanta at 3:04 p.m. Wednesday, according to the airport's website. The airline was scheduled for two more flights from and to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Wednesday's flights were canceled as winter weather makes its way into the region, Wilmington International Airport Deputy Director Gary Broughton said.

“They don’t want to bring their airplanes in here and come up stranded. But the airport will be open, and our employees will be here to keep the runways and taxiways clear to be ready for when airlines do resume their services which we are assuming and hopeful will be tomorrow morning,” Broughton said.

Broughton said the airport anticipates that the first flights will begin Thursday with arrivals at 10:10 a.m. on American Airlines and 11 a.m. on Delta. He said the airport will keep a crew on site through the night to keep runways clear.

"We're hoping, desperately, by then that we'll be good," he said.

Travelers are encouraged to contact their respective airlines to reschedule flights.

To add insult to chilly injury, one of the TSA’s X-ray machines went down on Wednesday morning, Broughton said, meaning all travelers are being screened by one machine.

This problem caused 20- to 30-minute flight delays Wednesday morning, and it could also delay Thursday flights if flights resume.

“The TSA has made it a high priority to get that repaired but if it isn’t (fixed by Thursday) we would encourage people to get here two hours early,” he said.

Broughton said they are hoping that late morning flights Thursday will be on schedule. He said ILM is keeping up-to-date information posted on its website at https://flyilm.com.

2 p.m. update: Homeless shelter preparing

WILMINGTON -- The Good Shepherd Center on Wednesday is in what Executive Director Katrina Knight calls "white flag mode" as the nonprofit braces for inclement weather expected to hit the region Wednesday evening.

In times of extreme weather, Knight said the organization hangs a white flag from the building as a visual cue to Wilmington's homeless that something severe is on its way.

Hanging the white flag also lets people know that the organization is willing to set some past issues so people can have a place to stay during bad weather.

"For example, sometimes we've had someone come and stay with us and they've been asked to leave for a period of days because of some behavioral issues," Knight said. "When it's white flag mode, we set aside as many considerations as possible and say 'lets put all this on hold and focus on you coming in and being well until the weather changes.'"

Knight said they've seen a small uptick in people at the overnight shelter, though it's "not overwhelming."

The organization is anticipating that most of their volunteers won't be able to make it in to the shelter Wednesday, and volunteers have been encouraged not to come in Thursday, so staff is preparing to make meals themselves, stockpiling water and preparing for the cold weather event.

Knight said the center will be open Thursday and encourages people to come during the day, since the center is a day shelter and can provide a warm place to stay and a hot lunch. Coming during the day also allows the center to do intake forms, which are necessary for people staying at the shelter.

1 p.m. update: Impacts of coming storm

SOUTHEASTERN N.C. -- Southport Fire Department Assistant Chief Todd Coring had just finished fighting a house fire on Coastal Drive in Southport when he got a call about a dog trapped in a drainage pond.

Two workers had gone to check on Brunswick County's sewer treatment site at the back of Sea Pines Drive when a hound dog followed them and slipped and fell into the pond. The pond, lined with a trampoline-like material, made it impossible for the dog to climb out, Coring said.

Coring said he was one the scene within a few minutes and joined by other Southport firefighters, who saw the dog whimpering and barking in the icy pond.

Forming a human chain, Coring and the team of firefighters lowered themselves down the side of the pond and pulled the crying dog out of the pond.

After jumping around and licking his rescuers, Coring said the dog ran off. A neighbor told them the dog was a neighborhood stray

After a tough morning battling a brutal house fire, rescuing the dog left Coring and the others "feeling pretty good," Coring said.

"We don’t see a lot of that, we were glad to get him out," Coring said. "He was a cute little fella, now he's able to run around his neighborhood some more."

In Wilmington, a water main break caused by cold weather forced the closure of three blocks of Forest Hill Drive on Wednesday, according to a release from the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority.

The break happened at the intersection of Forest Hills Drive and Columbia Avenue, the release said. During repairs, which are expected to last until Wednesday evening, the 600, 700 and 800 blocks of Forest Hills Drive are closed to all traffic, the release said.

Only local traffic will be allowed through during the repairs.

A precautionary advisory to boil water is in effect, the release said.

11 a.m. update: Sleet and freezing rain expected

A wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain is expected to hit Southeastern North Carolina late this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service Wilmington.

A winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday.

“Our road temperatures are very cold – in the 20s – and if it does start out as rain, when it hits that cold road, it's going to freeze,” said Dave Loewenthal, NWS meteorologist.

By this evening, the freezing rain is expected to turn to snow, he said. There will also be 30- to 35-mph winds with a wind-chill value of 9 degrees and gusts that could down limbs and cause isolated power outages. Overnight temperatures are expected to be in the low- to mid-20s.

The worst of the conditions are expected this afternoon and into tonight.

Arctic air will be reinforced in the wake of this intense area of low pressure Thursday and Friday with temperatures averaging 15 to 25 degrees below normal into the weekend. The average temperature for January in Wilmington is a high of 56 and a low of 32.

Wind chill values may reach dangerously low levels Thursday night.

Temperatures will finally begin to bounce back Sunday and will be near normal Monday and Tuesday.

Contact the metro desk at 910-343-2217 or breakingnews@StarNewsOnline.com.

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